Methi chapathi , Raitha combo .

Methi is in season & fresh , healthy looking greens do beckon to be picked up ! How does one resist such a call ? Pinching out these leaves from their stems is laborious and time consuming , especially if it has to be done for a large family. But the goodness & flavour of this greens more than rewards all the effort. We love to have our methi chapathis with Tomato Cucumber Onion Raitha.

Ingredients

Wheat flour - 1 cup
Methi leaves/ fenugreek - 1 cup, chopped
Oil - 2 tsps
Salt
Grind-
Onion - 1 small, chopped,
Ginger - a small piece,
Garlic - 2 cloves,
Green chilly - 3,
Curds - 2 tbsps.

Method

Wash & chop the greens. Sprinkle the required amount of salt & rest it for a while. The greens release their moisture in the presence of salt.
Now mix the greens with atta & oil.
Grind the wet spices with curds.
Mix the chapathi dough with this paste. Add more water / curds if needed to make a soft dough. Rest for sometime.
Roll out chapathis & cook on a hot griddle with a dribble of oil.
Serve with any gravy/ raitha .

Raitha

Chop Tomatoes , Cucumber & onions finely. Beat thick curds. Add a dash of salt .Mix in the veggies & garnish with coriander.

Sending this to Sri's EFM.

Aapam with cooked rice

This is yet another variation from the world of Dosa. Left over cooked rice can be mixed with the curds & blended and utilized to prepare this delicious Dosa for the next day. This recipe is adapted from Pakadarshi , a book by Suryakanthamma. As all the recipes in this book are tried & tested , usually it is safe to assume that the results are upto the mark.



Ingredients

Rice - 2 cups
Rice - 1/2 cup
Curds - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 tsp
Cooking soda - a pinch
Salt

Method

Soak 2 cups of rice for 3 hrs & grind into a fine and thick paste using less water
Cook the other half cup of rice. Blend it into a coarse paste with the curds.
Mix both the pastes. Add some salt. Let it ferment overnight.
Though this batter is thick when prepared, it loosens out the next morning.
In the morning, add water if needed to make flowing batter.
A pinch of cooking soda & sugar is mixed into the batter.
Make dosa by pouring a ladle of batter & swirling the hot pan.
Drizzle a tsp of oil & cook covered on one side only. No need of flipping the dosa to cook on the other side.
Enjoy the soft dosa with chutney of your choice.

Badam Milk / Almond milk

Badam milk, hot or cold is my all time favorite , thus making it both a summer & winter drink. Almonds are packed with vital vitamins & minerals. It is said to contain high levels of vitamin E, better known as an anti oxidant. It is not only a delicious & nutritious drink but a energy drink too. It is suitable for both the young and the old alike as it is easily digestible.
We even make our Halu obbatu / pal poli, using this milk.
Raising a toast to all the blogging fraternity ! Cheers.....!




Ingredients

Milk - 1 lt
Badam / Almonds- 50 gms
Cashew - 50 gms
Saffron - a pinch
Almond Flakes - a tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 cup

Method

Wash & soak the cashews for 1/2 hr in some water.
Boil the Almonds in some water . After a few minutes the skin swells up. Put off the fire. When cool, drain out the water & slip out the skins.
Wet grind the the cashews & almonds into a almost fine paste with water. It is nice to feel the grains of the almonds in the milk.
Bring the milk to a boil & continue boiling for another 10 minutes , stirring frequently & taking care not to scorch the milk at the bottom of the container. It is better to use a thick bottom pan for this preparation.
Stir the badam paste into the milk & continue boiling the milk, stirring all the while for 10 minutes or till you get a nice cooked aroma.
Add the sugar & Saffron strands & continue stirring for another 10 minutes.
Put off the fire.
The Milk is ready to be relished Hot or Chilled.
Garnish with toasted Almond flakes & serve.

Suggestions

Nutmeg powder can be used in the milk if preferred. It imparts a distinct aroma & flavor.
Or it can be cardamom flavored.
Pistachio flakes make a good garnish.

Paneer Masala

I had Paneer waiting for it's turn in the fridge , & everyday I was postponing , as I could not decide what I wanted to do with it. Finally I selected a basic gravy & did some mix and match with the vegetables on hand , which gave shape to this dish.
I guess this is how new dishes are invented !

Ingredients

Carrot - 1 medium , chopped & cooked
Capsicum - 1 small, diced
Tomato - 1/2 cup, diced
Paneer- 1/2 cup, diced
oil- 3 tbsps
Lemon juice- 1 tsp
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Salt
Grind :
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Garlic 4 cloves
Ginger - 1/2 '' piece
Cashew - a few
Poppy Seeds - 2 tsps
Jeera - 1 tsp
Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Green chilly - 2
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Cardamom, clove - 1 each
Cinnamon- 1/2 ''

Method

Fry the paneer in oil till the color changes & keep immersed in warm water.
In the same oil, add the masala paste & stir till the raw smell goes.
Pour in some water to make a gravy & add the salt. Slip in the capsicum pieces & cover & cook for a few minutes.
This is followed by the tomato . Cook for a couple of minutes.
The carrots & the paneer can join in .
Pour in the coconut milk & bring to a boil.
Put off the gas. Add the lemon juice.
Enjoy with roti.

Our very own Black Beauty....Ragi Roti

Our former Prime minister, H.D. Deve Gowda had popularized Ragi Mudde in Delhi during his tenure . In Karnataka, many other Ragi/finger millet based like dishes Ragi Dosa, Ragi hurittu, Ragi Rotti are commonly prepared. Ragi is a staple of this region.It is a good source of dietary fibre, calcium & iron. Ragi is quite filling & keeps you going for a longer time.
This roti uses multi grain flour & veggies, so one can consider it as health food.












Ingredients

Ragi flour - 1 1/2 cup
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Wheat flour - 1/4 cup
Salt
oil - 2-3 tsps
Onion - finely chopped, 1 cup
Green chillies - 2 tsps , finely chopped
Coriander chopped - 1/4 cup
Carrot - 1 cup , grated
Cucumber - 1 cup , grated
Cooked Rice - 1/2 cup, mashed well
Hot Water - as required

Method

• Mix together the grated onions, carrots, cucumber, green chillies, salt, oil, coriander, mashed rice, in a bowl .
  
• Mix all the flours together. Mix the vegetables and the flours.
  
• Pour in the hot water little by little & mix the dough , till everything comes together.
• To make the roti, you can use Wax coated paper or any paper like the Teflon sheet, which is heat resistant.
  
• Grease the paper , With wet hands take a handful of dough & press into a roti, which is slightly thick, with a hole in the center.
  
• Transfer this roti on to a hot griddle , the roti side down, press lightly on the paper & peel off the paper carefully after a minute.
• Drizzle a tsp of oil around the roti & a little oil on the roti & cook till the 1st side is done. Flip over & cook the 2nd side too.
• Serve this Roti hot with any chutney / a blob of butter/ curds.

Suggestion

Any other vegetables like grated beet root /finely chopped cabbage etc can be incorporated into the roti to make it more nutritious.

Sending this to Divya's , Wholegrain Event.

Gongura / Sorrel Poppu

Gongura preparations like poppu & pachhadi are extensively popular in Andhra Pradesh. Gongura greens have an acidic taste. These leaves are pinched at the neck of the stem , as the stem portion does not cook well. This poppu is regular on our menu . Mix it with rice & take a bite from the raw onion & enjoy pure bliss. You are sure to be on the highway to heaven. Since the greens are intrinsically sour, the dish has to be balanced with chillies & salt. And garlic pairs beautifully with sorrel.

Ingredients

Thoor dal - 1/2 cup
Gongura leaves - 1 fistful
Onion - 1, diced
Green Chillies - 8
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Garlic - 10 pods
To temper-
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard , jeera, Hing

Method

Pressure cook the dal with the onion, turmeric powder & a drop of oil , with just enough water. The greens & chillies are also cooked with the dal but in a separate container. Cover this container & pressure cook.
Crush the cooked green chillies & the garlic.
Mash the dal & the greens together. I use a Hand Blender to bring them together. Whizz it briefly, as we don't want the dal to become a paste.
Combine the chilly- garlic paste with the dal . Add sufficient salt. Adjust the consistency.
Bring to a simmer.
The dal is ready. Temper the dal.
It makes a good accompaniment with jowar roti / chapathi / rice as well.

Carrot chutney

I had never heard of carrot chutney before. I saw it for the first time here & got hooked instantly to the beautiful presentation. I customized this recipe and believe me , it is not only very colourful, it turned out to be tasty too ! A Must - Try chutney !

Ingredients

Carrots - 1 cup , grated
Coconut grated - 1 cup
Green chillies - 2
Red Chillies - 5
Ginger - 1/2 ", chopped
Oil - 2 tsps
Onion - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Urad dal - 2 tbsps
Tamarind - 1 tbsp , soaked
Salt
To temper - mustard, jeera & curry leaves

Method

Heat the oil in a pan & slip in the split green chilly & toss for a minute . Then the ginger for another minute.
Add the grated carrot & saute till the raw smell goes.
Put off the heat & mix in the coconut into the hot pan.
Roast the urad dal with the red chillies till the dal turns pink. Cool & powder it dry in a blender.
To this, add the prepared carrot mixture along with the tamarind extract & salt . Wet grind with the required quantity of water to get a chutney consistency.
Mix in the onions.
Lastly add the tempering . This goes well with roties & dosa.

Tomato poppu

Tomato poppu is a household preparation in Andhra Pradesh. Poppus are prepared on a regular basis using any vegetable on hand. They make a great accompaniment with rice. Sometimes spice powders like poppula podi ( Chutney pudi ) or pickles make a great combination when mixed with the poppu & rice. Try this poppu and you will surely like it.

Ingredients

Thoor Dhal / Red gram dhal - 1/2 cup
Onion - 2 medium size , diced
Tomato - 2 diced & 2 quartered
Tamarind - 2'' piece
Green chillies - 1 tbsp, chopped
Red chilly powder - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Dhaniya / coriander powder - 1tsp
Jeera / cumin powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Tempering -
Oil - 2 tsps, mustard, Jeera, curry leaves, a pinch of hing.

Method


Pressure cook the dal , onions and the tomato quarters in enough water till mushy.
Place the green chillies and tamarind in a small cup and pressure cook along with the dal.
Remove the skin from the tomato quarters & mash it well along with the dal.
Extact the tamarind juice and add it to the dal.
Add in all the dry powders , sugar , cooked green chillies , salt and diced tomato and bring the dal to a simmer.
Transfer to a serving dish & mix with the tempering.
Tastes great with hot rice as well as with any rotis.

Suggestions

Can use chopped garlic in the tempering.
Traditional dal preparation does not use dhaniya, jeera , garam masala powders. Can omit them if you wish to do so.

Sending this to the 21st edition of MLLA hosted by manju ,which was started by Susan.

Eazee Brownies

I keep trying different Brownie recipes all the time. For the beginners , who need a little more expertise with cakes , can find comfort in brownies. Mostly , nothing much can go wrong with them. I liked the look of Divya Kudua brownies & I had to try it.
Besides it was a friend's birthday & I wanted to share some goodies with her. I replaced the butter with oil to reduce the guilt factor :)
Chocolate & coffee flavours marry well. I was tempted into adding some instant coffee for that deep flavor. I had acquired some Rum for the Christmas fruit cake. So a tbsp of that also had to be added.
The results are here to see. They were good, no doubt. But ice cream or chocolate sauce would have complimented & completed the SIN.

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Dark chocolate - 100 gms ,
Butter/ oil - 90 gms
Castor sugar - 3/4 cup
Eggs - 2
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Walnuts - 1/2 cup , broken
Instant coffee powder - 1 tsp dissolved in some water

Method

Prepare a 8" tin.
Sift flour & baking powder together.
Melt the dark chocolate & butter in the microwave & allow it to cool.
Powder the sugar .
Beat the eggs first & than spoon in the sugar & beat again.
Pour in the chocolate mixture, vanilla essence & dissolved coffee.
Fold in the flour.
Pour the batter in the tin & bake in a pre - heated oven for about 40 minutes @ 180 C.
Cool on wire rack & cut & devour.